Knies comes up clutch, Niemelä nets a pair, Abramov out: Leafs Prospect Roundup

A lot of the focus that has been placed on the Leafs’ prospect pool in recent weeks has centered around the trade market and what the Leafs might have to give up in order to improve their current roster. Well, Kyle Dubas took his swing on Friday night when he acquired Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari in a three-team deal with St. Louis and Minnesota, but it was primarily draft picks and not prospects that he used to get it done.
The Leafs did include 2019 fourth-rounder Mikhail Abramov in the trade, along with Adam Gaudette, but the top of their prospect pool remained untouched as they shipped out a first, second, third, and fourth-round pick scattered across the next three drafts. Abramov began his pro career with some promise, but the adjustment to the AHL has been a difficult one for the diminutive forward, and he landed in the 19th spot on my midseason ranking of the top prospects in the Leafs’ system.
Moving that much draft capital only makes the progress and development of the players the Leafs already have in their system more crucial. As Dubas alluded to following the acquisition of O’Reilly and Acciari, moving picks rather than the club’s top prospects was the obvious move given where the Leafs are currently at in their competitive cycle. The players chosen with those picks are still mu …

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Author: Nick Richard / The Leafs Nation

Outfield prospect Cam Eden has been invited to spring training

Another Blue Jays prospect has gotten a call-up for spring training.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Mitch Bannon, 24-year-old outfield Cam Eden has earned an invitation to spring training as a non-roster player.

#BlueJays announce they’ve invited CF Cam Eden to MLB Spring Training. He’s seen as one of the best defenders in the org and has elite speed, but struggled at the plate after a promotion to AA last year.
— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) February 14, 2023

Eden played the majority of his 2022 season with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, slashing .215/.292/.376 with 10 homers in 306 plate appearances. However, he had a rather high 35.3 K%, much higher than his 22.9 K% last season in High-A.
Including his brief tenure in High-A Vancouver and Dunedin Blue Jays in 2022, his overall slash line stood at .233/.310/.408 with 12 homers with a 32.8 K% and a 7.9 BB%.

Cam Eden (@CamGo_Ham) wants to go home. His 10th homer of the season makes it 11-7 for New Hampshire.
Absolute nuke.#BlueJays #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/iADI2BxbsA
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) September 9, 2022

Where Eden excels is with his elite speed. On the base paths, he stole 36 of 41 bases in 2022. In fact, that was the third most stolen bases in the entire organization. He also uses that speed in centre field, as he makes tough catches look easy.
Drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 draft, Eden ranked as Fangraphs 34th best Blue Jays prospect heading into 2022.
The right-handed batting outfielder has an interesting blend of speed and pop, and has proven to have a low strikeout rate in years prior. It’s likely that Eden will start the season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, but a repeat of Double-A isn’t out of the question.
It will be interesting to watch his spring training!
As always, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Brennan_L_D.
POINTSBET IS LIVE IN ONTARIO
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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Blue Jays Nation’s 2023 Preseason Top 50: Ultimate edition

Just because the 30 prospect articles have been released, doesn’t mean Blue Jays Nation’s Prospect Season is over.

In this article, we’ll be looking at each of the Top 50 prospects’ scouting reports. If you want to see a more in-detail look at their 2022 season (as well as past seasons) or where they may start in 2023, click on the player names!
Furthermore, since Chavez Young (who ranked 48th overall) was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this month, I’ve added an additional prospect at the end of the article to fill to #50 spot. So check that out.
Without further ado, here is each of Blue Jays Nation’s Top 50 prospects’ scouting reports!
#1 LHP Ricky Tiedemann:

Before even getting the game on my monitor, Tiedemann is K’ing pros like it’s little league. pic.twitter.com/mzaQUHNrhK
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) June 25, 2022

 

Tall, with long legs and torso, with broad shoulders and room for projection. Tiedemann pitches a low 3/4 arm slot which makes his already difficult-to-hit stuff harder to hit. His fastball has plenty of run, which makes batting left-handed against him an utter nightmare. His changeup is used against both right-handed and left-handed batters and has late downward movement. His slider has high spin rates with sweep, and is a plus pitch. His control and command are good, especially for his experience level. Tiedemann also has the dawg in him, much like fellow Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah.
Blue Jays Nation’s Grades:
Fastball: 65
Changeup: 65
Slider: 60
Control: 50
Overall: 60
#2 SS/3B Addison Barger:

uhhhhhh, I’m pretty sure @AddisonBarger (Addison Barger) just left the stadium.
That… I’m in shock.#BlueJays #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/opZPDIL7EM
— Brennan Delaney (@Bren …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Speaking with Paxton Schultz on Utah Valley University, being traded to the Blue Jays, and the 2023 season

Born in Orem, Utah, Blue Jays prospect Paxton Schultz didn’t have to look too far when considering his post-secondary options to continue his baseball career, “I was born and raised in Orem and I had a close connection with the coach (Eric Madsen) and I got to know him and the rest of the staff very well and that made the decision very easy. My college choices pretty much boiled down to the University of Utah or Utah Valley but that connection with the staff and being close to home, Utah Valley was a great pick for me.”

With the Wolverines, Schultz posted a 4.61 ERA through 46 appearances (30 starts) and posted an 8.9 K/9 through 209.0 innings, earning Academic ALL-WAC honours all three years at Utah Valley University.
In his first appearance with the Wolverines, Schultz struck out four batters, three of which came in the eighth inning with all three sent down looking. “I remember my first weekend as a freshman, we were playing Wichita State and I came in as a reliever, and I went three innings, nine up, nine down, and I faced some talented players like Alec Bohm and Greyson Jenista. To have success at the next level early gave me a lot of confidence that season.”
After his Junior season in 2019, Schultz was drafted by the Milwauk …

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Author: Tyson Shushkewich / Blue Jays Nation

Blue Jays prospect Damiano Palmegiani talks about Vauxhall, his junior college playing days, and the 2023 season

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Blue Jays prospect Damiano Palmegiani has a unique Canadian-inspired backstory.

Although he was born in South America, Palmegiani’s early baseball career began in Surrey, British Columbia with programs such as Cloverdale Minor Baseball. The righty batter would eventually take his talents to southern Alberta and joined the Vauxhall Jets at their academy to finish his high school playing days.
“When I was in grade nine, baseball was already a priority for me and something I wanted to do through high school, college and beyond. One of the Vauxhall coaches, Joel Blake, and his dad Tim had been coaching me in British Columbia (Cloverdale Minor Baseball) and offered this (Vauxhall) as an option. When I was given the low down of the program and looking at the alumni and where they ended up, it was a no-brainer and sealed the deal.”
Vauxhall, Alberta, deemed the Potato Capital of the West, sits roughly 20 minutes north of Taber, Alberta and two and a half hours southeast of Calgary.
“I used to have to negotiate with one of my teammates who had a car to drive us down to Taber so we could go to McDonald’s or one of the other restaurants Vauxhall didn’t have,” Palmegiani said.
Prospect Damiano Palmegiani speaks to Blue Jays Nation about his time in Vauxhall, being drafted twice by the Jays, and his goals for the 2023 season…
Palmegiani faced a tough decision in his grade 12 year, as he had a commitment to California State University, Northridge for the 2019 season but was also draft …

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Author: Tyson Shushkewich / Blue Jays Nation

Blue Jays Nation’s 2023 Preseason Top 50: #18 Adrian Pinto

For the second day in a row, we have a prospect who was traded!

This time, it’s Adrian Pinto, who was acquired in the Randal Grichuk trade. Unfortunately, he missed a significant portion of the 2022 season due to injury, but he’s still a very intriguing prospect.
However, we’ll look at the criteria first.
Brennan’s criteria:
Instead of writing this out every time I did for the mid-season Top 60, I’ll copy and paste my criteria for how I rank and scout these players.
There are many factors that determine a top prospect. The eye test is the biggest driver in determining a top prospect, but proximity to the majors, ceiling, and floor is also important. Moreover, statistics are another key ingredient, as everything works together to give you numbers.
As for the grades, it’s important to remember that these grades are relative to the league in which they play at. A kid from Dunedin is not going to have a 50-grade hit tool if he were placed in the big leagues. But relative to the league in which he plays, a .300 hitter is eligible to have that grade.
For these prospects, I’ll be reviewing their background, numbers in the minors, pitch mix (if they’re a pitcher), and giving a scouting report (if feasible, rookie league guys are difficult).
Let’s jump in!
Adrian Pinto’s career so far:
The Colorado Rockies signed Adrian Pinto as an international free agent during the 2019 period.
He didn’t make his pro debut un …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Minten’s monster performance, Woll working his way back: Leafs Prospect Roundup

Minten’s monster performance, Woll working his way back: Leafs Prospect Roundup

Following a brief holiday hiatus, the Leafs Prospect Roundup is back to kick off 2023. From some of the top names in the system such as Matthew Knies, Fraser Minten, and Nick Moldenhauer, to some of the more under-the-radar prospects like Ryan Tverberg, Braeden Kressler, and Joe Miller, there is plenty to catch up on so let’s get to it.
Fraser Minten | C | Kamloops (WHL)
With teammates Logan Stankoven and Caedan Bankier off representing Canada at the World Juniors, Minten has been charged with leading the Blazers’ offensive attack, and he continued to do just that over the holidays.
Already riding a three-game goalscoring streak heading into last Tuesday’s matchup against Kelowna, the Leafs’ 2022 second-round pick registered his first hat trick of the campaign and added an assist in what would go down as a 6-4 win for Kamloops. Minten has been deadly on the man advantage all season, and that was the case once again on this night. He sniped a pair of powerplay goals, including a late go-ahead goal that would stand as the winner, before adding an empty netter to complete the hat trick.

Fraser Minten with another powerplay snipe to put the Blazers up by one late in the third period#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/EbVoVPPWdA
— Nick Richard (@_NickRichard) December 28, 2022

It was a …

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Author: Nick Richard / The Leafs Nation

Minten steps up, Moldenhauer picks up where he left off, Lisowsky lighting it up: Leafs Prospect Roundup

Minten steps up, Moldenhauer picks up where he left off, Lisowsky lighting it up: Leafs Prospect Roundup

It was a bit of a lighter schedule for the Leafs’ prospect pool this past week, so this week’s edition of the Leafs Prospect Roundup will be done rapid-fire style. Let’s dive right in.
Fraser Minten has taken on a more significant workload for Kamloops since teammates Logan Stankoven and Caedan Bankier left to join Team Canada’s World Junior squad and has risen to the challenge. The Blazers played a couple of games against Prince George last week, with Minten netting a goal and an assist in each contest, including the overtime winner in Friday’s matchup. He is up to 13 goals and 15 assists in 22 games for the season.

MINTS CALLED GAME 🔥🚨@MapleLeafs pic.twitter.com/Pn9w6OkGtN
— Kamloops Blazers (@blazerhockey) December 17, 2022

Pontus Holmberg appears to have carved out a full-time role with the Leafs, and the term “prospect” may not apply to him for much longer. Lauded for his responsible style of play and strong defensive game, Holmberg had the biggest offensive night of his young career in Tuesday’s blowout win over the Anaheim Ducks. The 2018 sixth-round pick tallied three assists on the night and now has two goals and five assists through his first 17 NHL games.
One of Holmberg’s three assists against the Ducks came on Joey Anderson’s first goal as a Leaf. Now in his third season with the organization, Anderson is finally getting an extended run in the Leafs’ bottom-six, and he has been effective in the early going. Playing limited minutes, Anderson has helped his line to control the run of play for the most part, and while the sample size is still qu …

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Author: Nick Richard / The Leafs Nation

Winter League wrap-up: Could Rainer Núñez win the LIDOM MVP? Bowden Francis continues to dominate, and more!

At the end of November, we looked at how each Jays prospect was doing in their respective winter leagues. Today, we’ll do the same.

I don’t think it’s a hot take to say that a Blue Jay prospect could be a Most Valuable Player candidate in the Dominican Winter League (LIDOM). Let’s start there.
Rainer Núñez MVP-calibre campaign:
When Estrellas de Oriente drafted Rainer Núñez in the fourth round of the 2022 LIDOM draft, one has to imagine what they were expecting from the young first baseman.
I wouldn’t assume they expected an MVP calibre season for the rookie, but that’s what they’ve gotten so far.
Núñez, who recently turned 22 years old, is slashing .270/.314/.487 in 118 plate appearances with Estrellas. While that’s impressive in its own right, he currently leads the league with seven homers, again, as a 21/22-year-old.

Le dio pa’ la calle el MVP de esta semana 💥 ¡HOMERUN de Rainer Núñez que empata las acciones para las @EOBASEBALLCLUB! 🐘🔥#LIDOM #CopaBanreservas ⚾️🏆 pic.twitter.com/MXZbP0qcVs
— LIDOM (@LIDOMRD) December 7, 2022

His seven home runs are tied for the most since the 2019 season. Furthermore, the last time someone his age led the league in homers was back in the 2012-13 season. That season saw Marcell Ozuna (also a rookie) hit nine homers as a 22-year-old, which is a LIDOM record for rookies.
A comparable MVP season came from Peter O’Brien in the 2019-2020 season. He slashed .243/.386/.479 with nine homers in 210 plate appearances. While O’Brien was older, he did also have a higher on-base percentage. 
Núñez could very well be in contention for the MVP award this season, and with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, it’ll come down to the wire. The Dominican Winter League is free to watch on MLB . tv, so definitely tune in! Estrellas are currently fourth in the LIDOM standings, so they’d be in the playoffs if it were to start today!
Vinny Capra:
Next up, we’ll look at Vinny Capra, who also plays for Estrellas.

Vinny …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Holmberg earns praise, man-advantage Minten, Niemelä’s numbers: Leafs Prospect Roundup

Holmberg earns praise, man-advantage Minten, Niemelä’s numbers: Leafs Prospect Roundup

In last week’s Prospect Roundup, we took stock of a number of Leafs prospects and how they have performed through the first couple of months of the season. One of those players was Pontus Holmberg, focusing on his rapid ascension to becoming an NHL regular. Fast forward a week, and his case for staying put in the Leafs’ lineup has only gotten stronger.
Holmberg scored his first NHL goal in last Wednesday’s win over the scorching hot New Jersey Devils, a goal which stood as the game winner. He found the back of the net once again in Saturday’s victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins – a great shot into the top corner over the glove of Casey DeSmith – and established a new career-high with 12:01 of ice time.

GOALBERG. pic.twitter.com/rB4A9bGcdf
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) November 27, 2022

Holmberg now has two goals and an assist through his first eight NHL contests, but it is his play away from the puck that has really endeared him to head coach Sheldon Keefe. He was even trusted with a couple of shifts on the penalty kill this past week as he continues to grow into a regular role on the team.

Sheldon Keefe on the play of Pontus Holmberg, says as a rookie they always try to go through tape about what they can show players to improve …

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Author: Nick Richard / The Leafs Nation